Wroclaw By Me

Last Remark

2007-08-27T20:47:00.000+01:00

As promised here his the adress to my new blog:

http://www.aquijazo.blogspot.com/

Since the creation of this blog I got addicted to this...

Take a peek!

Take care!

André Rolo

Back Home

2007-07-28T00:00:00.000+01:00

.:back home:.

I'm back in Portugal. I've been doing a million things at the same time, so it's hard to post news lately... I guess that I was also trying to avoid it: because this is the end of this blog. It accomplished its purposes working, at the same time, as small report of my experience in Wroclaw, and helping me sharing this experience with family and friends. Since I'm back home, there's no point in making new posts. Anyway, I'll leave it online, for as long as the blogger server allows it to be.

I never had a blog before, but the thing is that after this experience I'm addicted. I'm planning on creating a new one, with no special theme, just a place where I can "lay" some of my photos & some stories. It's still being "projected", but as soon as it's online, I'll leave the address here, so remember to check in for the new blog address.

To everyone that kept coming here to check on my adventures abroad, I wish to thank you, because you gave me the will to keep on updating the blog. Everyone in Wroclaw, you made my year! You all make Wroclaw a greater place to live, and are the living color of the city. It's so damn easy to fall in love with this city... It will always be a special place for me. A place where I already felt like home (when returning from some big trips). A place where I dreamed of Wroclaw instead of my home town, having in mind what Joren taught me.

Hope to be back soon. Take care!

Lets just say Narazie...

This is not the end

2007-07-20T14:17:00.000+01:00

"...just relax..."

Juz czuje tesknote!

Notice that foreigner on the back...

My participation at the diggings came to an end. But it's impossible to put an end in the fabulous friendships I made there. Truly unforgettable! One of the moments I felt the most welcome and beloved by everyone, here in Poland. Great atmosphere & companionship. From the table football games, to diggings, passing through the great times in the "grill"... These were 3 of my best weeks in Poland. Things are not ending suddenly as I expected... they're only ending to fast. But fear not my Polish friends, I intend to come next year, so get the wódka ready! Let me just remind you all, that you are most welcome in Portugal, and you have a place to stay there ("Mate", Portugal is waiting!). Thanks to "Panni Doctorze" for all his kindness and for sharing a little of his wisdom and experience with me (there should be more people like you in the Portuguese Universities!). Thanks to Justyna, for making me use my rough Polish, and for having patience for me & Claudia in our big trip to the south. Thank you all, from the "sponk" of my heart! You are the best, & this is not goodbye, it's more like "narazie"!

P.S. - To all of you who wondered what "saudade" and "fado" is, it's more or less what I'm feeling about this experience now...

Weekend Report

2007-07-15T11:19:00.000+01:00

The urn

Pottery from the urn

Fibulae

Pin

Making some shadow for the photo

Football match during the spare time

Once again I'm sorry for the lack of news. For some moments I made it through the WiFi connection at the school where I'm sleeping, but I now I can't make it no more. Anyway, I'm having a blast at the diggings in Sulów, and the findings couldn't be anymore exciting! Everyone is great, and there's a great atmosphere within the group. A lot of "matraquilhos" (table football?) and ping-pong matches during the spare time, and some walks through the village surroundings. Regarding the findings, I couldn't be more fulfilled than I already am! A complete late Hallstatt urn, which besides the remains of the cremated bones, contained also a fibulae and a pin! Here are some photos of this last few days. Take care!

Finding of the day

2007-07-06T19:18:00.000+01:00

Roman coin found in the digging today by Joanna Michalska

Wykop

2007-07-06T19:12:00.000+01:00

-The digging I'm currently on, in Sułów. Iron Age, Przeworsk Culture, Lusatian & even Hallstatt-

Lack of news

2007-07-05T11:53:00.000+01:00

I'm sorry for my absence, but I'm currently digging in Sulów, 60km north from Wroclaw. I already have a lot of new things to post, which I promise I will do, later on. Take care!

Going Underground

2007-06-25T12:52:00.000+01:00

Set of sculptures symbolizing the underground movement in socialist times in Poland (PRL).
(photo shot near the Arkady in Wroclaw)

S. João in Wrocław

2007-06-25T00:32:00.001+01:00

Before the first bar (and still sober...)!

We couldn't just let this special day pass and not celebrate it. Claudia some days before had the great idea of doing a "Rally das Tascas", in which everyone is supposed to cruise the city, checking in every bar on the way. So we decided to celebrate the Portuguese (from Porto) holly day in this way, cause there's no way we could find any fresh sardines in here... Instead we had cheap, some times hot, beer! The plan was so appealing that even a Turkish friend joined us.

The Portuguese Gang

2007-06-17T20:47:00.000+01:00

"...e ela dizia baixinho: Comé qu'eu hei-de, comé qu'eu hei-de, comé qu'eu m'hei-de ir embora..."

After a whole afternoon eating grilled kielbasa, in the garden of João's dormitory, along with Polish, Spanish & even Hungarian company, the group headed for the city center. Once there, precisely in Literatka, it was time to play "scissors, paper and stone"... It's easy to loose, so you never get thirsty and the beer just keeps coming! After some rounds, everyone is singing popular Portuguese songs, and saying all sorts of "non-sense"! What a night...

Queen Libido

2007-06-17T20:33:00.000+01:00

She's hungry for you love... or anything else!

If by any chance you find this woman on the street, run in the opposite direction. Stop only when you have ran 1 km or more, because she doesn't give up easily. She keeps harassing all the men she sees on the street. She doesn't smell. She doesn't really look that drunk. She's mad... Something went wrong in that little head of hers... One thing I can tell you for sure: her libido is not working properly! I was lucky... Only got a kiss on the cheek (even with Filipa by my side...)! Some of the others got some neck licking & ass grabbing (among other areas...)! She might also insist on introducing you beneath her skirt. If you're a male and walk through the city of Wroclaw keep an eye for the Libido Queen! Be afraid, be very afraid...

Only a Polski Fiat...

2007-06-14T11:16:00.000+01:00

Try doing that with any other car...

A week of Archaeology and Museums

2007-06-13T16:33:00.000+01:00

Reconstructed kurgan

Foundations of Early Christian Apsida

Early Christian Graves in Hungary

The whole "archaeological gang"!

After another long week, here I am again with a report on another trip. As if walking 20km a day, through the Sleza Mountains wasn't enough, I enrolled in a second trip, this time "over borders". Organised by the the Institute of Archaeology and it's professors, this trip consisted of a week of archaeological sites & museums throughout Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. For the value of around 200 zloty's (50€!), the students had a bus taking us every where and accommodation included, for the whole week. Now that's an example, my department back in Porto should follow... First stop, the city of Nitra, near the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava. There we went to an "archaeological experimental field" which consisted in the reconstruction of some dwelling structures from several ages. There we also had the opportunity to visit the reconstruction of a previously excavated kurgan, which amazed everyone by the quality of its realisation. Next stop a well known pre-historic site, already in Hungary, but near the border. Among the findings there, there is the occipital bone of the first "humans" in Europe, and one of the first evidences of man made (or started) fire also in Europe. After this, we headed for Budapest, where we had the chance to visit the History museum, which had a very rich, and well elaborated exhibition, comprehending some of the cultures that where present the nowadays Hungary, and also a great exhibition on the Mongols, and it's invasion of Hungarian territory, being Genghis Kan (of course!) it's main symbol. Following the capital it was time for Pecs where we had the chance to visit the main museum and later one one of the best preserved archaeological sites I've ever seen. It consisted of 4 underground levels, beneath an 18 century building, that I can't even imagine how hard it was to dig and later on "musealize"! After some "regular tourism" in the capital, and another fine in the underground (already had been fined there in February this year!), the group headed for Pecs, where we had the chance to visit the main museum and later one one of the best preserved archaeological sites I've ever seen. It consisted of 4 underground levels, beneath an 18 century building, that I can't even imagine how hard it was to dig and later on "musealize"!Next stop: Balaton. A huge lake in the middle of Hungary, where we had a break, and enjoyed the great view and nice Hostel. The Polish ran for the water, while me and Claudia had a beer, and chatted with the nice hostel owners. And this was our last stop in Hungary, after what we went for the Czech Republic, for the city of Brno. After one good night of sleep, and a funny adventure regarding our room key, we visited two more museums, the first mainly pre-history, and the second with a full range of findings of cultures present in the territory of the country until the present day. All in all, a great adventure, a nice opportunity to return to some previously visited places, but now with an "archaeological perspective". I realy wish that this kind of events would be made in my home university in Porto, but "people" always seem to busy for this. Regarding the museums and sites visited, it was great to testify that countries like Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic are investing so much money into archaeology and preservation of sites, most of them with the European Union Funds. I wonder, in 21 years of Portugal in the E.U., how much of these funds were applied to archaeology and heritage... It's great to see that somewhere else, people are doing better... I would also like to leave here a big "ZAEBYSCIE!" to all the polish friends I made in this trip! Never met any foreigners who could learn Portuguese swearing so quickly and well. Take care!

Ślęza Mountains In a Week

2007-06-02T18:57:00.000+01:00

Ali à direita, com jeitinho, até faz lembrar o Monte da Virgem...

During the week, the blog has been quite inactive due to the fact that I've been visiting the Ślęza Mountains everyday with a some Archaeology colleagues and Artur, one of my Professors here and my Erasmus Coordinator. It ended last Friday, and it was a great experience. We started the day in Sobótka, the village on the bottom where the bus stopped, and proceeded to the natural park, starting our tour along old paths through the mountains. Wild nature, observe and study some archaeological sites, and in some of the days, 20km walks... I leave you here a panoramic shot from the top of the highest mountain we've been on. Take care everyone!

A Resposta

2007-06-02T18:36:00.000+01:00

Agora, em resposta: ...ele já morreu, quem o descobriu fui eu!

Após anos a fio, a ouvir a pergunta de quem "ele" é, eis que eu, após aturada investigação no estrangeiro, descobri a sua identidade. Seria esta uma das maiores incógnitas da cultura popular da cidade do Porto e arredores, que desde tempos remotos nos aflige, e nos incita a procurar saber quem é "ele", perguntando de modo sistemático a qualquer transeunte ou conhecido. Caros compatrícios, tenho-vos a dizer que, a verdade é decepcionante: ao que consta, parece que já não será de todo correcto perguntar quem "ele" é, mas sim, quem ele era... Paz à alma deste icon da cultura nortenha!

Boat Trip on the Odra

2007-05-24T18:49:00.001+01:00

There's Captain Ahab!!
Just cruisin'...

I couldn't miss this one, because I missed the one in the first semester! What's there to say? A lot of Erasmus, plenty of beer, loads of fun, nice view, great weather, Antonio DJ'ing, great time! Here's some photos I shot during the trip. Hope you like it! Take care!

Driving a Polski Fiat

2007-05-23T15:16:00.001+01:00

Just look at those shinning rims!

Finally, I had the chance to do it... I have been craving for this moment! OK, so it's not the real thing... But the game is loads of fun! Try it, you can download it, for free, from this site: http://www.ms2.boo.pl/

It can be quite tricky to get a hold of that slippery Fiat. Have fun!

Sueca

2007-05-23T13:08:00.000+01:00

Nostalgia, saudosismo, o que quer que seja...

Bruno em casa da Agnieszka, numa festa rica em português!

Maluch, "o pequenino"

2007-05-19T13:47:00.001+01:00

"Tu fala-me com jeitinho..."

"É frequentemente referido pelos polacos como sendo o único carro "com alma", uma vez que muitas vezes se desliga espontaneamente e pode demorar bastante a voltar a ligar-se. Algumas pessoas afirmam mesmo que é necessário "falar-lhes com carinho"."

Obtido em "http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polski_Fiat_126p"

First Diggings

2007-05-17T12:45:00.000+01:00

"Yes, yes, maybe a little bit more in your right side... Yes ... Perfect..."

So recently I had my first chance to dig in Poland. The digging concerns the area of a future construction of a speed-way around Wroclaw, that should be ready for the Euro 2012. Apart from the strange weather, you can see it's a hard knock life for all of us digging there... It is. The photo was taking during a break! I swear. This is not Portugal.

Playing with fire...

2007-05-16T14:15:00.000+01:00

"Quem brinca com o fogo, mija na cama!"

-photo taken in Rynek, Wroclaw-

Art Exhibition in Rejs

2007-05-15T19:14:00.000+01:00

Quais CCB, qual carapuça... No Rejs é que é!

Recently, in the 12 of May, Artur (now you know who he is...) managed to gather an Art Exhibition in Rejs, and he also invited me, among others, to exhibit some photos of mine. It was quite nice, because I had lost the opportunity to participate on the Erasmus Photo Contest while I was travelling through the Baltic States and Berlin. So, this way, although not being a contest, I was able to show some of my photos to my friends in Rejs, and I got quite pleased with the result. Besides photo contributions, there were also paintings, drawings (amazingly well done, using coffee as ink), collages, and there even was a slide presentation that was quite astonishing.

All in all, it was great, and the "general mood" of the event was amazing.

Artur

2007-05-14T15:47:00.000+01:00

"What have YOU done for Rejs?"
Artur, the man, the myth...

I've already told you about "Rejs", my favourite bar in Wroclaw. One of the people, among others, that makes Rejs special, is Artur, one of the guys that works there! Always ready for a good conversation, and to put a beer in your front, he's already a part of the bar, and "the other way around". He has worked there since the beginning. Today, while in Rejs, I was fooling around with some photos on the computer, and I had the greatest idea: to use the famous PRL propaganda poster, that is also a part of the bar decoration (with some minor changes...), and adapt it, for "a better fit", with Artur's face. So this was the final result. I printed it in the shop next to Rejs, and handed it over to Artur as a surprise. He blushed, and everybody had a laugh! He posted it in the wall next to the previous one, and I was quite happy, because now, I also contributed for the "complex" and rich set of elements that, among other items, makes Rejs such a special place.

The Wall

2007-05-13T11:22:00.000+01:00

- Berlin Wall, east part, nowadays -

Royalty

2007-05-12T11:35:00.000+01:00

- Nefertiti -

(photo taken in the Bodemuseum , Berlin)

II Trip Report

2007-05-08T16:46:00.000+01:00

Bialystok

Vilnius

Riga

Berlin

We had already done south, so in these few days (about a week or more...), we went north. To the Baltic area. The initial plan was, cross Poland until Bialystok, only for a pit-stop, then Vilnius, Riga, Tallinn and catch a flight from Tallinn to Berlin, where we would be only 5 hours away from the starting point, Wroclaw. As we where travelling through the first stops, we heard about the problems in Tallinn, riots and manifestations, and a guy had already died, so we gave up of this destination. We ended our "Baltic Experience" in Riga, leaving from that airport to Berlin, with some extra days on our sleeve to enjoy our visit to the capital of Germany...

Bialystok- What's there to say about this city... East of Poland... Small city. Has I said before, it was more of a pit stop, after 9 hours on a train crossing Poland. Even so, we took a spin at night, before going to bed, on the main avenue. Nice town hall, a lot of advertisements on the streets... But, all the warnings they gave us in Wroclaw were true, it's eastern Poland... It's not exactly the same thing as the western side. Well, it full filled its purpose: to allow us to rest, although the lady in the hostel reception(by the way, the only one in the city!) had some kind of problem with her feet, if I make my self clear. It was hard to breath through all the bureaucracy of the "check-in". Early in the morning in the next day we where already on the move: next stop - Vilnius;

Vilnius- "Slightly" bigger than Bialystok, after all it's a capital, Vilnius was a nice surprise. Calm town, good weather (such luck...), and a very beautiful city center. It was characterized with a lot of medieval remains, and, some new ones: shopping's. I mean, I know that the communist era ended some years ago, but, for Christ sake: Giorgio Armani, Prada, Escada... They were all there. Some years ago, someone sang: "Go west...", but the after all, it's of no use, because West is going East! Anyway, we climbed to the castle, and went up the tower, were we had a panoramic view of the city, even beyond the old city center, and there it was possible to see a new, growing modern area of the city. The hostel wasn't bad... Although no one spoke English there, which doesn't make things easy. The one main problem was that we had a bunch of middle aged Russians, in the next room. Practically drunk all day, when sober, they kept bugging in and asking cigars, or asking for Irina (who the f*** is Irina?")! It might had something to do with prostitution, or some kind of human traffic, but who knows? I don't speak Russian, and I didn't understand also the moans of the also Russian woman back in the next room... So odd it could be a David Lynch movie. Oh, one more thing, Pedro, the girls are nice although not in the same quantity as in Wroclaw.

Riga- We had a blast in Riga. The city is filled with nice details. The architecture is great, and you can see here that the European Union money is being applied in recovering the historical part of the city (and also in the above mentioned shops...)! The Orthodox Church is amazing, Sadly enough, we weren't allowed to take photos inside of it. In the central garden you can find a lot of statues and sculptures, some of them quite comic. Once again there's also the famous costume of leaving locks in some bridges (also in Vilnius). I figured out it should be some kind of ritual for matrimonial good fortune, because almost all of them had the names of couples engraved in them. Before I kept thinking why they take the bikes and left the locks... Regarding the hostel, we broke our record: a 20 bed dormitory. It wasn't that bad. When we arrived there, there was, what I thought to be, a whole strip tease team, sleeping in it... They checked out in that morning... On the door of the room there was a sign saying that the hostel didn't had anything to do with the bar on the basement, so I decided to go out the building and find out what was. Although it was closed, the name said it all: MADmoiselle... So everything was clear then... The strip tease team, with flashy clothes, and the bar bellow the hostel!

Berlin- What a life, what a city! I don't know if I lost a lot by not going to Tallinn, but the extra days in Berlin sure where cool! We decided to spend almost all the first day in a tour (in Spanish, 'cause the group was smaller) around the city's most important sights. We seen it all! And Berlin is also a city of museums, so I had to check some of them too: Pergamon, Bode (the Nefertiti sculpture!), Neue National Galerie, the Bahaus archive, It was great. My feet where killing me, but I couldn't stop. I just had to keep walking! There's so much to see! The Reich stag, Berlin Siegessäule, the Wall (or what still remains of it!), the Bradenburg Gates and so on! Needless to say, I took hundreds and hundreds of photos. Some of them are in these sets of this post, but later on I plan to post some more interesting details... About the hostel in Berlin... Jesus... That wasn't a hostel! I think it categorizes already as an hotel!!! It was called Generator Hostel, and it also exists in London. Its HUGE, a whole block building! It's not in the city center, but it a very good connection by tram or underground: 15 min. I loved Berlin, and since it's "only" 5 ours from here, I just might return there before going to Portugal in the Summer.

There is so much more things to tell, but then again, this is getting quite long, and I know that most of you don't ready the texts anyway. I fell like a writer for the Playboy magazine... One more thing: if you would like to see some more photos from our trip, take peek at Filipa's own blog: Enfezado. Take care!

On the go, once again...

2007-04-29T19:54:00.000+01:00

Currently in Vilnius, Lithuania. Previously Bialystok, Poland. Next stop Riga, Latvia. Last one Berlin, Germany. Photos and "history" soon. Keep in touch. Take care.

25 de Abril

2007-04-26T14:57:00.000+01:00

"O povo é quem mais orden(h)a ..."

25 of April... In Poland! Who would of say that I would also celebrate the Portuguese day of "freedom" in Poland. It was on a Portuguese/Brazilian party, in a pub called "No Name". A lots of "samba", a lot of "lambada", but what about good old Portuguese music? Concerned with this fact, because this was ALSO a Portuguese party, some of the Portuguese and some "Portuguese speaking Polish" were arguing about this, and someone had the greatest idea of all: we should ask the DJ to play "Grandola Vila Morena", the famous Portuguese "interventionist" song, typically sang in this date. But that was a long shot... Who the hell could have that music, at that time, in an underground bar, in the opposite side of Europe from Portugal... And this is what makes the Portuguese, Portuguese: someone had a CD with the song, with him, at that time!!!... So some minutes later, the above mentioned group was begging the DJ to play that one music! It was quite convenient, warning him that in a mood of samba and lambada, this kind of music would be a little bit awkward, and that he might would had some people leaving the dance floor. So, the Portuguese (and the Portuguese speaking Poles), gathered up, and sang, on the top of a stage, Grandola Vila Morena... I never saw something like this... Some people indeed did abandon the dance floor, but some, "strangely" enjoyed the music and danced, and there were even some couples dancing really tight to each other, like if it was "one more sexy/sensual Latin song"! Crazy night, but what could I expect? Some Portuguese gather, they have some beers, and the next thing you know, they are yelling interventionist songs at the top of their lungs. It happened before... it will happen again! Take care!

Dwarfs of Wroclaw

2007-04-24T16:13:00.000+01:00

Try find them all..

I've been planning to post some photos of these guys a long time ago.

"They appeared on the streets of the city in August 2005. Their history is connected with the Orange Alternative movement and the year 1982. It is then that some dwarfs with funny hats and smiling faces were painted as a graffiti covering anti-Communist slogans. The present day dwarfs are statues sculpted by Tomasz Moczek, graduate of the local Fine Arts Academy. There are as many as five dwarfs in the city. Each of the dwarfs has a name, e.g. Dwarf the Sleepyhead in sw. Mikolaja Street or Dwarf the Butcher in Jatki Street. There is also a museum dedicated to the dwarfs in one of the ''Hansel and Gretzel'' houses near the St. Elizabeth's Church in the town centre. Be watchful not to miss its door as it is halfway up your knee."

Classic

2007-04-23T01:58:00.000+01:00

Well... do you?

Friends

2007-04-22T13:40:00.000+01:00

A new place for Luise.

(we had a great time!)

A tough spirit

2007-04-21T23:57:00.000+01:00

Polski Fiat - washing is for pussies...

(notice the blocking device on the steering wheel, great detail...)

Frank Sinatra II

2007-04-21T23:32:00.000+01:00

"Day and night, night and day..."

This is the real thing. He sings has if there was no tomorrow... Singing for keeps, in the Rynek, here in Wroclaw. Good voice, only only one problem: in his repertoire (and his portable cassette player) he only has Sinatra. So I hereby launch a initiative in Wroclaw: let's give the man a new tape. A different artist maybe, just for a change, or for the sake of musical variety. It's a waste of a good talent, to only perform Sinatra. I bet that the income, at the end of the day, would be much bigger. Frankie, you make the Rynek a better place!

Polski Euro!

2007-04-19T13:36:00.000+01:00

Why was I taking this pictures? Perfect waste of good, cheap beer time...

Who would of know? It was the second time I was celebrating the attribution of the Euro championship to a country. First Portugal, and now Poland! Since there was already a stage set up in Rynek, for the Wroclaw Jazz Fest (Jazz na Odra), they just took the chance, and decided to have a party to celebrate the pick of their country (along with Ukraine), for the Euro 2012. Some live music, latin sounds, fireworks, a LOT of beer, and Polish singing (yelling): Eurooo, Eurooo, Euro, Euro, Eurooo... They screened the clip of the announcement in a huge screen, like 5 times in a row, and each time the Polish heard the name of their country, they went nuts!It was a blast! As someone from a country that already hosted the Euro, although I'm not a big fan of football, I can only tell you that it's one of best moments ever! I had never seen the Portuguese more united than that! 70% or more of all houses had flags of Portugal hanging on the windows! It was a cool thing to see and live. Hope the Polish do the same around here, and all celebrate this huge party that will be here in 2012. It's a nice excuse for me to return to Poland... To see how Portugal & Poland are doing in the Euro, and to check out the other Euro, once that by that time, there shouldn't be any more zloty!!!

Visit to Kłodzko

2007-04-16T13:53:00.000+01:00

Going "mole" in Kłodzko!

Finally another excursion with the other Erasmus students. It has been a while since the last time. In this trip we headed for Kłodzko to spent a Saturday there. We all gathered in Ołówek, in departed to the journey we had ahead. Kłodzko turned out to be an interesting small city, with very beautiful architecture, and the amazing fortress on the top. But one of the most attractive things of the fortress itself is the underground tunnels, that go through out all of the area of the structure. built for defensive purposes, they go around the whole area, making a complex web of passages and, sometimes, narrow ways, beneath the fortress. At a point some of us went through quite narrow tunnel, that wasn't more than 1 meter tall... Quite claustrophobic, but so Goddamn' cool! A part of the group, in which i was included decided to stay a little bit more and instead of the designated bus, take a later train back "home". All in all, it was a great day: we got to meet some new Erasmus and keep in touch with some of the previous ones.

Easter

2007-04-16T13:32:00.000+01:00

Tanta coisa, e estes gajos não têm amendoas...

During the first days of the Easter season, we testified some events regarding these special time, here in Wroclaw. There was the mess on the street, with a lot of students, following the cross of Christ on his way to "Golgotha" and the mess in Katedra also.After deciding not to go to Portugal for Easter vacations, we realized that we would only come back there during the Summer, about the end of July. The flights were to expensive, only to be in Portugal for a week. But to cheer things up, our good friend Annia, invited us to spent the Easter Sunday along with her family in her hometown , Brzeg. And let me tell you, it couldn't be any better! Since breakfast is the main meal, or the most important, of that special day, we started eating at 10am e ended dinner at around 10pm! During the day we had some breaks to go to mess, and take a quick spin through the city, and its lovely park. We had a blast, and we couldn't feel around family much more than we did. So for that, and much more, we wish to thank Annia and her family- great parents, lovely grandmother and cool brother and sister!

Witness Of Time

2007-04-10T15:33:00.000+01:00

Just wonder what he has seen...

(photo taken in Brzeg)

Remains

2007-04-09T20:04:00.000+01:00

... they still linger on ...

Hey Tony...

2007-04-05T00:31:00.000+01:00

"Come to Wroclaw! I'll make you an offer you can't refuse..."

And you thought they were all from Sicilia...

Park Stanisława Tołpy

2007-03-31T18:22:00.000+01:00

Park Stanisława Tołpy - working for a tan...

Saturday afternoon... A sunny Saturday afternoon here in Wrocław. Went for a stroll in Park Stanisława Tołpy, just a few 100 meters from home. Here's what I found there. Old people chatting, children playing, ducks, pigeons and chips, couples "in love", everyday people just taking a break and the first flowers of the year. Spring is here...

Rejs

2007-03-30T21:13:00.000+01:00

Rejs - if no one looks drunk, it's because it's in the morning.

Rejs... Finally the post about the one and only, REJS! I didn't even left Wroclaw for good, and it already has a special place in my heart. It's the closest thing I found to the Portuguese bars I like, here in Wroclaw. I've only been here for some months, and when, nowadays, I walk in, (almost) everyone says: "Czesc!" A little bit like "Cheers", but in a "polish" way. As most of the places here in Wroclaw, the beer is good and cheap. Two choices, at your taste: Primátor or Rejs, being the first one Czech, and the second Polish. They're equally good, although I usually drink Primátor. The name of the bar comes from a very well known old Polish movie (want to see it, but I only find it without subtitles, and my Polish isn't THAT good...). Besides this, all the decoration and thematic of the bar, recalls other well known movies, not only from Poland. You can find there a poster of "Star Wars", or an American army helmet, with the pack of Marlboro's hangin' in the side, just like in "Full Metal Jacket". The lamps in the sealing are made of old film, and some ashtrays have small filmimg cameras on them. The bathroom has a painting on the back wall (with some minor changes), reminding whom ever goes there, what's "Hollywood" all about. And although it's a small space, it's filled with great details. A lot of the guys from Archeology here in Wroclaw, usually attend the bar, and it was introduced to me as the "Archaeologists Bar". I'm in Archaeology, I like the bar... Seems only fair to me!

Groovy Bass Player

2007-03-23T19:15:00.001+01:00

"... that bloody cocaine..."

Photo taken in "Od zmierzchu do świtu". Thursday nights there, means jam sessions, with some local bands. Take care!

Note for Mum

2007-03-23T19:09:00.000+01:00

I didn't made my mind yet: "I've a bomb", or, "I was sent here by my Father"...

Mum, although it might not seem, I'm doing great. I mean, "they" still call me Bin Laden sometimes... And once Jesus Christ. I don't know if I should take pride in that. It's not like I want to end up crucified. But, the Polish are VERY Catholic, so maybe it's a good thing... Photo taken by Filipa on the tram, on our way to "Od zmierzchu do świtu".

PRL Propaganda

2007-03-20T21:24:00.000+01:00

"What have you done for the realization of the plan?"

Dinner at Ołówek

2007-03-20T00:55:00.000+01:00

"Wroclaw, the meeting point..."

We had a lovely invitation from Jayaraj, our Indian friend, to have a typical Indian meal over at it's place in Ołówek. It was the second time that tried this wonderful "cuisine"! I wanted to take some pictures of the food, but, sadly enough, I was too eager to have that divine food, and ended up with no photos of it! Anyway, I wish to thank Jayaraj for the lovely meal, and also Martin, because he is always the nicest guy, and also lives there. While I was still there I took some time, after a full stomach of course, for taking some night photos from Martin's balcony, because Ołówek is one of the city's tallest buildings and has a great view of it. Here you have the final result. A simple panoramic night view overlooking the city from the northeast part, where Ołówek is situated. Hope you like it! Take care.

É Hoje!

2007-03-18T01:50:00.000+01:00

É hoje... (click on the image!)

So F.C.Porto didn't win after all... Whatever... This one goes out to Pedro. Take care everyone.

TV

2007-03-17T17:05:00.000+01:00

Is that a porno section below the live football menu?
Porno in the Internet... who would of say....

Although, not entirely essential, it's always nice to have a television. One of the best things, that allows us to keep in touch with Portugal , is TvTuga. It's a website that contains links to numerous online TV channels, some of them Portuguese. So it's great to have the possibility to have dinner while seeing the news. Just like at home! When mum & dad phone, I know as much as they do about Portugal nowadays news... That's a little bit disturbing to mum because, she can't quite figure it out, how I can watch RTP, and other Portuguese channels, being Poland. Some times she starts telling me all about the recent happenings in Portugal and: "...Mum... I saw the news..."! Anyway, F.C.Porto plays today against Sporting, and due to this web page I told you about, I will be able to see the game through my computer. Victory for F.C.P., for sure... Take care!

From Dusk Till Dawn

2007-03-10T17:05:00.000+01:00

In the original they had "something" in all colors...- in this one the beer is good and the music is nice...

In Polish: Od zmierzchu do switu. It's the name of the cool bar, in which I always have a cool time, here in Wroclaw. Named after the Robert Rodriguez film, its inside decoration, in fact, has something that reminds you of the "Titty Twister". Hard-Rock fans, 80's Metal head-bangers, and all sorts of music lovers fill the bar. At Thursdays night, it's Jam sessions time. The admission is free, and the bands, mainly from Wroclaw, are quite cool. The beer, as always, is good and cheap! Definitely a "must go" of the Wroclaw night-life. If you come to visit me in Wroclaw, I'll take you there for sure! Here's a view of the bar. I took the photo when the bar was closing, enc the lack of people on the dance-floor and counter... Take care!

Polish Lessons

2007-03-08T21:36:00.000+01:00

I keep wondering what she/he meant with affordable...

Trip Report

2007-03-01T18:06:00.002+01:00

Vienna, breathtaking...

Bratislava, a capital "in one day"...

Budapest, where Hapsburg dynasty mingles with the "socialist" heritage

Bucharest & Constanta, the other side of Europe (considering Portugal...)

After two weeks of continuous travelling throughout a part of the central-Eastern Europe, roaming from capital to capital, here are the final results. So many images, experiences and dwellings. Starting in Wroclaw, it was a 7 hours trip by bus to Vienna. Once there we where completely amazed with the city, and it's proportions. What a nice example of what and European capital should be. Everything works perfectly, the avenues are clean, museums are great, with only one problem: the prices. Apart from that it's overwhelming.

After Vienna, and a 1 hour trip by train we were in Bratislava. From what I've heard, this are the two nearest capitals, in Europe. Considerably more modest, the city itself is also amazingly beautiful. One day and a half was enough to get to know it, or at least its core. Here you can still "taste" some remains of the "socialist" era. It's possible to testify there, the efforts that the Slovaks are making to reach the European Union standards (or apparently not, as I heard later on...).

Also near, about 3 hours by train, is Budapest. Huge city, trying to recover from a demanding "communist" regime. The Hapsburg where also there, and that was evident in the architecture of the city, although the buildings are now falling into decay and ruin. That made us wonder about the prices regarding the quality of life in the city. In one hand, you have a decayed and grey city (although beautiful), & in the other hand, the prices are quite heavy.

After this came the hard part of the journey: 14 hours by train until Bucharest. Something like 853 km. At the first stage we nearly crossed the whole Romania, but we stopped for 3 days in the capital. We didn't do that much sightseeing here, because about this time exhaustion was getting into us. So, after washing our clothes in the great "Butterfly Villa Hostel", we wondered a little through the city, in the past aka "Little Paris". This qualification, had to do with the city back in the 1920's, when it was a flourishing capital, with great buildings, gardens and cultural life. Of course that all of this ended with the "arriving of communism". A little bit like Budapest, all these architectural wonders, were destroyed or abandoned during the communism. The main idea I got from it, was like a "New-York" of the Eastern-Europe. When you see the amount of people on the street, the traffic confusion, you immediately resemble it to some-what of a "jungle". You can only say you're a good driver when you survive driving in Bucharest.

And the second stage of the Romania journey, and final destination, was Constanta. Considered the third biggest city of the country, it's sided by the Black Sea, although, and we saw it, the sea is not really black. A lovely city but one big problem: street dogs. If you are wise and a little bit careful you can manage. First a Greek city, named Tomis, later on it was conquered by the Roman Empire. The Emperor Constantino baptised the city in his sister honour, enc the Constanta. With roman ruins and findings everywhere in the lovely city center, it's an archaeologists dream, if only it would be possible to dig there. The "Roma" are always present, although we should keep in mind that Romania has much more to show than Gypsies and Dacia's (equivalent to the Polski Fiat there). I found the Romanians quite warm-welcoming people, maybe also because of their partially Latin roots. Although a poor country you would be amazed with the quantity of luxury cars cruising the streets everyday. It's amazing: BMW's, Mercedes, Porsche - you name it, they have it... I would like to return there 10 years from now, and see the evolution of the country, of course under the European Union influence. What kind of role in the European Union awaits Romania?...

After a "hard good-bye", I had to return back to Wroclaw because classes at the University would start in one week. After some days past I had great news... As some of you already know, my small peace of Portugal, returned to my side... So, now with my ever fullfiling company, I'll start the second part of this quite unique experience.

Guess who's back...

2007-03-01T16:23:00.000+01:00

There couldn't be a better surprise!

On the go...

2007-02-09T20:53:00.000+01:00

Currently, in Bratislava, Slovakia. Before this Vienna, Austria. After Budapest, Hungary. Afterwards Romania all the way. Photos from this trip after the 20Th of February, when I'll be back in Wroclaw. Crazy days, the ones that I'm living nowadays. Take care.

Polski Fiat vs. Snieg

2007-01-28T20:15:00.000+01:00

It just keeps on rolling...

As I told you before, a mechanical wonder. Snow, rain or mud... Nothing can stop it! It just keeps going...

Snieg!

2007-01-25T18:28:00.000+01:00

Até parece a Serra da Estrela!
"...let it snow, let it snow, let it "padac snieg"!"

Finally, after so much time waiting for it to happen, it snowed in Wroclaw! Being from a Mediterranean country, it's not very common for me to see snow. I'm almost ashamed of saying this, but it was the first time in my life that I saw snowing! We already had some fun, with snow balls and so on, but my real accomplish shall be a Snow-Man! I hope i can manage to do one. Here are some photos of the city during the start of this "snow-season".

Pastéis de Bacalhau

2007-01-25T16:55:00.000+01:00

Pasteis de Bacalhau... Estar fora não é sinónimo de passar fome!!!

Me and Filipa cooked another Portuguese dish. With cod-fish of course! I have to do something with the 2 salted cod-fish I brought... Salted Cod Fish Dumplings! The only problem was that we weren't sure about the amounts of each ingredient... So we turned out making some 50 dumplings of it. We were eating Salted Cod Fish Dumplings during the whole week! Anyway I'll leave you the recipe and a photo of the final result we had!

Pasteis de Bacalhau (Salted Cod Fish Balls)

Ingredients1

1/2 lb. bacalhau, de-boned (equivalent to 5 cups flaked bacalhau)

3 lb. potatoes (equivalent to 8 cups mashed potatoes)

4 eggs, beaten

Pepper, to taste

Olive oil (approx. 1 tbs.)

Method

1. Boil potatoes, peel and mash. Set aside.

2. Soak bacalhau in cold water overnight.

3. Drain and rinse again in cold water.

4. Boil for 15 minutes.

5. Break into small pieces.

6. Place a handful of bacalhau at a time into blender or food processor and blend for a few minutes until flaked.

7. Mix potatoes and bacalhau. Add beaten eggs (pour in half first), pepper and olive oil. (Do not add salt as bacalhau is salty).

8. Form into balls with a fork to give an uneven texture.

9. Deep fry approx. 20 at a time.

Bom apetite!

Sleepless...

2007-01-23T03:37:00.000+01:00

"A ponte é uma passagem... para a outra margem."

3:37 a.m.

I'm totally sleepless... Crunching feeling. I hate insomnia's. Probably I'm a little stressed out about my presentation tomorrow in one of the classes. Not only that but I also have more essays to deliver and probably more 2 or 3 exams to do. And to make it better, from February on, I will be "more alone" here. There goes "my little peace of Portugal". Off she goes to Romania. Well, anyway, I still have to get, or try to get some sleep. I hope that the presentation goes well tomorrow. I'll leave you with one of my latest photos of Wroclaw. If it wasn't for the time, that's what I should be doing right now: taking photos. I find it quite relaxing & fulfilling. This one was taken near the University. It's one of the bridges that crosses the Odra, and its "smaller arms". It's a great structure in metal. Simple, subliminal and effective: that's the way life should go. Take care!

Porto - London / London - Wroclaw

2007-01-13T20:32:00.000+01:00

Above the clouds.

First time in London, and I didn't even got out of the airport... I believe that after 6 hours waiting for the connecting plane to Wroclaw, I know Stansted like the back of my hand! The journey started around 9:00m in Porto, Portugal, and it ended at 22h45m , in Wroclaw, Poland! And the problem is that I'm not really very comfortable flying... It's not that I'm afraid, but I just think if God wanted us to fly, we would have wings... Here's some photos of my journey back to Poland. Take care!

Porto

2007-01-12T16:27:00.000+01:00

A little bit of sea, my home faculty, my house, the light house, the Castle of S.João da Foz, among others...

Just a few glimpse of Porto, Portugal. I know it's supposed to be about Wroclaw, but I think it's a nice idea to share some photos of my "area"... Hope you like it.

Casa

2007-01-03T01:58:00.000+01:00

At last the Atlantic Ocean...

Back home... It's quite strange... Of course it's my home, but on the first days I felt like a "partial" stranger! Sometimes I even wondered if I wouldn't feel better back at "my home" in Wroclaw. But now, some days have passed, and I really feel like staying... Although... Ah... INSANITY!

Wesolych Swiat! *

2006-12-17T20:28:00.000+01:00

"...do they know it's Christmas time at all..."

It's impossible to ignore the fact that we are near Christmas, here in Wroclaw. As you can see, the streets, and the Rynek are fully decorated with traditional Christmas lights, and there's something in the air that announces that Christmas is almost here. Although I'll return to Portugal for Christmas and New Years celebrations, I would also like to live this "season" here in Poland. It would be nice to get to know the different customs and traditions of the polish people during this "winter main events". The good thing is that, some polish friends, already invited me to have a meal at their home, after I return in January, with all the typical Christmas and New Years celebration dishes and traditions. So I guess I'll be doing a lot of party this next weeks...

* Wesolych Swiat! (PL) = Happy Christmas! (EN) = Bom Natal! (PT)

Krakow & Oswiecim (Auschwitz)

2006-12-12T21:27:00.000+01:00

Krakow pics (hope to return there & take some more!)

After some time of numerous attempts of going to Krakow, me & Filipa, finally made it! The two of us and some German friends manage to find some free time to visit this city, of which everyone was talking about. And what a great city it is! Full of history, great buildings, and with a great night-life! We managed to stay in a great hostel in the city center, just next to the Rynek of Krakow. We also had in mind to take this chance, and do something that everyone that is Poland for some time, should do. After one great day in the city we headed over to the concentration camps in Oswiecim (Auschwitz). We knew it would be a hard experience, but we were anxious to go there and testify, by our selves, one of the remaining "items" of the Nazi "horror era". When we got to Auschwitz I (the main concentration camp, although smaller), it was hard to realize what kind of crimes were really committed there. We visited the museum, where there was an exhibition (in the old camaratas of the prisoners), that contained, among other things, a lot of belongings of the poor souls that where trapped there. For instance, they had in one of the rooms, something like 2000kg of human hair (every prisoner should shave the head), in the other thousands of shoes, reading glasses, prostesic limbs. It was quite hard to deal with that reality.But the worst was still to come... Bierknau. When you get to Bierknau, there's a sudden' silence, as you get a glimpse of the famous tower with the trains entrance below. The same tower that appeared in the Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List". That tower, and it's gates where the last entrance for 1.5 millions of people. And when I went to the top of it, and got a glimpse of the camp itself... I lost my speech. You just can't see the end of the thing! It's huge. You can see some of the wooden houses (if it is possible to call it house...), and the remainings of the ones that were destroyed. If keeping in mind that each house had 1000 men inside, and that there were hundreds of them through out all the camp... I mean, it's quite chocking to learn it in school, and read about it, but face it, there, in front of you... It just makes you wonder, what the hell were those people thinking???... And the amazing thing about it, is that all of this occurred not even 60 years ago! I think everyone should visit this place. There you can really get an idea of what mankind is able to do, when it looses all sense of humanity.
For further information on these monuments, I'll leave you here the link to the official site of Oswiecim (Auschwitz) Concentration Camps: http://www.auschwitz.org.pl/ Take a look, you won't regret it...

Auschwitz I

Bierknau (Auschwitz II)

At the Wroclaw Zoo

2006-12-06T20:19:00.000+01:00

Some photos I made in the zoo. Some of the animals can be really photogenic...

There's a nice big zoo here in Wroclaw! I've read somewhere before that this is one of the biggest in all Europe. Although now it's closed for winter season, I've been there before that and had a great time. Here is a collection of some photos I took there. If you are interested in further information about the zoo, here's the website (in polish...) :

http://www.zoo.wroclaw.pl/

Just a new perspective

2006-12-06T01:44:00.000+01:00

A slightly different glimpse of the Katedra and the surroundings

Because, some times, it's better to change the perspective in order to see things better...

Karkonosze Mountains

2006-12-01T16:19:00.000+01:00

Some photos of the Karkonosze Mountains and the Samotnia Hostel
Some of the Erasmus that went on the trip, great group

Now this was a hell of weekend! It was great! It started in really strange way, but it turned out to be great. Me and Filipa were supposed to meet the rest of the group in front of Olowek, to go on the private bus that should take us to Karpacz (the village near the mountains), but you got stuck at home... Our landlady changed the lock, and gave us the wrong keys! So she left early in the morning, locking the door from the outside... Needless to say, we lost the group bus! But Sebastian called us, and said we could make it there in a regular bus, and so we did. After 3 hours we were in Karpacz, ready to start climbing the mountain until the Samotnia Hostel. The only problem was the time: it was already 16h & something... It was getting dark, we add a 2 hours mountain climbing to do and only a small flash light! Well, at first it didn't seem so hard, but in the middle of the way we had to leave the main trail and start climbing through the woods. And let me assure you, the woods during the night, can be really scary... and the flash light, wasn't that good! After some time, some phone calls to Basia that was already in the hostel, we made it, and the vision of the small lights of the Samotnia Hostel in the middle of all that darkness, seemed like heaven on earth... When we entered the dinning room, because everyone else was already having dinner, me and Filipa had a huge round of applause, which was a great welcoming, and felt really good, along with a nice warm meal!

There was a nice small "party", after dinner, with music and beer and everyone got the chance to know themselves better. It quite a nice group of people! The next day we climbed to one of the tops of the Karkonosze Mountains. It was an amazing view from there, specially for me, because I only flighted by plain once, and it was to get from Portugal to Poland! So now I was above the clouds once again, but this time standing my both feet! I had the chance to be on Czech Republic ground once again (besides Praha!), since the Karkonosze Mountains are a part of the border line between Poland and the Czech Republic. In that night, after coming down from the top to the Samotnia Hostel, and after dinner, we had a fire outside, were we roasted some "Polska Kiełbasa" (polish sausages), with sticks, and drink some beer. Great evening! Everyone sang typical songs from their home countries, and told stories.

The next day (Sunday) we had some time in the morning to sleep a little bit later, before going back to Karpacz, to catch the bus back to Wrocław.

I wont forget this great weekend easily! From what I've heard there will be a second trip there in January, and if I can make it, I will join that one also!

Here's a nice advice from me to you: if you have never been to the Karkonosze Mountains, and to the Samotnia Hostel, you should! It's not that much expensive, and its sure worth it! If you are interested in some more information about the place, here's the site for the Karkonosze Mountains National Park and the Samotnia Hostel:

Karkonosze Mountains National Park:

http://www.staff.amu.edu.pl/~zbzw/ph/pnp/kark.htm

Samotnia Hostel:

http://www.samotnia.com.pl/

Language Exchange

2006-11-30T18:24:00.000+01:00

Filipa teaching Ania some Portuguese by the candle light

(yes, there's also electricity in Poland...)

Yesterday, after my usual Wednesday polish class, me, Filipa and Martin met with Ania, one of ours dearest polish friends! We headed to PRL, in Rynek, and there we had a "kawa z mlekiem" (para os tugas: meia de leite...), which always comes with a very tasty small cake (included on the price). We were quite entertained speaking about similarities and differences between our countries, mainly language issues. After some minutes everyone was trying to speak each others language, which was quite funny... Although we had something a little bit more "informal" that day, there are some "tandem" meetings. A tandem is someone that is interested in learning a new language, and therefor, tries to find someone interested in learning his own language and able to teach the native one (usually polish, of course!...). Me and Filipa don't have an "official" tandem, but if there's someone who is of great help, that someone is Ania! We tried to practice our polish, with her help, and also teach her some Portuguese... We had a blast, and when we noticed the time, it was already 00:15! I guess that the polish saying is true: "Happy people don't count the time..."! So this post is mainly dedicated to Ania, but also to Sandra (now in the UK), that helped us since the first day we met them! Thank You!

Anthropology Class

2006-11-29T00:57:00.000+01:00

Skull drawings by me ( they will be on e-bay shortly...)

After spending almost the all summer digging full skeletons, I thought I had some ideas about the human bones... Well, here in Wroclaw I applied for the subject of Archaeological Anthropology, and I can tell you that the professor was talking for almost two hours only about the human skull (ah... & in polish...). Jesus... They have names for every small lump we have on the freakin' skull! So, to entertain myself, and also(!) to learn something I drew some of the "Normas" (as the professor called them...) of the skulls. In the end I was quite happy about my drawings (enc the post...) and I understood I little bit more of bones.

Torun

2006-11-27T23:23:00.000+01:00

Nicolaus Copernicus Monument and Old Town-Hall Tower behind

While I'm staying here in Poland, I'm trying to manage meeting a little bit more of the country itself, and not only Wroclaw. So at a weekend, some time ago, I joined a group of students that organised a trip to Torun. It's a lovely city full of history, of knights and castles, and place of birth for the well known and famous Nicolaus Copernicus. There's a tradition of typical gingerbread cookies from this city, and they are quite common used at Christmas all over Poland. In the lower floor of the Nicolaus Copernicus Museum House, they run a second museum dedicated to this delicatesy. There, we we're allowed to cook a gingerbread cookie ourselves, and the history of the tradition itself was explained to us. There are other lovely things to visit in the city: a Planetarium, the Rynek architecture (city center), the Old Town-Hall (with a big polish painting exhibition), a lot of beautiful churches, the ruins of a castle (that played a big role in the development of the city), and also a leaning tower. For those who are interested in further information about the city here's the link to it's official web page:

http://www.torun.pl/portal/index.php?lang=en

Gingerbread cookie I made (lost all teeth eating it...)
Leaning Tower (who cares about Pizza...)

If you have the chance to come to Poland, don't miss visiting Torun. You can do it in a weekend!

If only he could...

2006-11-26T19:51:00.000+01:00

Dedicated to Pedro...

Saudade*

2006-11-25T23:08:00.000+01:00

Even being a young man, longing to meet a new world, its places & its cultures, after a couple of months away from home, I cant avoid missing it. The new technologies might help us, allowing us to minimize this feeling. On a regular basis, I call home, just to check up how everyone is going there. And, maybe once every two weeks, we make a net meeting with a web-cam. Things look pretty much the same there...

Man!!! Me being away is really regretted by all back home... Can't you tell?

*Saudade (Portuguese word)
feminine noun

1. longing;
2. yearning;
3. nostalgia, homesickness;
4. deixou muitas saudades a todos - his going away was regretted by all, everybody misses him;
dê-lhe saudades minhas</EM> - remember me to him;
matar saudades - to cheer oneself by the sight of someone or something one longs for;
tenho muitas saudades dele</EM> - I long to see him, I miss him very much;
ter saudades da sua terra (da pátria) - to be homesick;

Night Life in Wroclaw

2006-11-24T20:23:00.000+01:00

Night Life in Rynek (City Center) / Town Hall

Most (Bridge) Tumski on the way to Katedra

Nice spot in Tumski

Katedra itself

Here are some random photos of the city at night. Some of this places are on the way of my everyday ride to my Faculty, and i appreciate them a lot! Later on I intend to post some more. Hope you like this few ones. Take care!

Polski Fiat

2006-11-23T18:19:00.000+01:00

Polski Fiat: who needs Minni's?

It's not just any old Fiat model 126! No... It's more than that: it's a POLSKI FIAT. This small car is in the heart of a lot of polish people. It's the first car for a lot of youngsters, because of it's quite cheap price, and easy maintenance (small electric part... mainly "mechanical"...). I guess it's just one more thing that still lingers on in Poland since the PRL (socialist "era"). But from what I've found out, people here in Poland, or most of them, have a special place on their hearts for this small mechanical wonder. Some years ago it was the car for the "people", a little bit like the Volkswagen Beetle in Germany. Nowadays, they still ride the polish roads every where, some with more difficulty(!), and you can see piles of them stuck up in pounds or 2º hand car sellers. Anyone can get one easily for around 50 euros (around 200 Zl PNL) !

You can find a lot of variations to this original model: some of them are quite "ttuned be the owners!!! I've seen some of them that we're good enough to be on the "The Fast and the Furious" movie!

I don't have a driver license, but if I had one... Believe me: I would buy one, for sure!

Just starting...

2006-11-21T20:34:00.000+01:00

View from one of the bridges of the Odra River towards the Katedra

It's fresh new... I have decided to create this blog in order to make it easier for me to show my photos and experiences during my year in Wroclaw, Poland. I'm not the first, and I wont certainly be the last one to do this, because it really is a nice way of sharing this experience with my family, friends and who ever more can be interested. I've been here for maybe more than two months, but I think still on time to start this. This is my first blog, and from what I know, it takes Patience and dedication to keep one running, so I hope I can manage it. Hope you like it! Take care!